New Zealand is a country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean consisting of 2 main islands, both marked by volcanoes and glaciation. Capital Wellington, on the North Island, is home to Te Papa Tongarewa, the expansive national museum. Wellington’s dramatic Mt. Victoria, along with the South Island’s Fiordland and Southern Lakes, stood in for mythical Middle Earth in Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” films.

Education in New Zealand is compulsory from the age of 6 to 16. The system includes primary and intermediate schools, followed by secondary schools (high schools) and tertiary education at the university.

The school year runs from early February to mid-December for primary schools, late January to late November or early December for secondary schools and polytechnics, and from late February til mid-November for universities.

New Zealand had an informal, but well-established education system led by the native Māori until 1815 when formal European-style schooling was introduced. New Zealand established a state education system in 1877. There are three types of schools in New Zealand: state (public) schools, state-integrated schools and private (independent) schools.

10. Kristin School

Tuition Rates: NZ $4,140 – 5,225 per term / International $28,500 – 35,950 per year

Kristin School is an IB World School with the IB Primary Years Programme, IB Middle Years Programme and IB Diploma Programme. It is an independent private co-educational school from kindergarten through to Year 13. There is a performing arts center, sports and services for international students. Short-term international students generally enter in the Middle and Senior Schools, and attend for a minimum of one term of nine to ten weeks, and a maximum of four terms (a full academic year). Uniform is required.

9. Auckland Normal Intermediate School (ANI)

Tuition Rates: NZ $12,300 per year

Auckland Normal Intermediate School is a two-year school catering to students aged 11-13 years. It is an IB World School with the IB Primary Years Programme. ANI is coed and state-funded with boarding facilities. Its curriculum is base on the French concept of ‘ecole normale’ as a model school where exemplary teaching practice was shared with student teachers. Uniform is required.